Light My Fire~Seeking Motivation

I have been having a real problem finding the motivation to get going on Christmas and I have been hard pressed to figure out why. I love Christmas and always have. But for some reason I am dragging my feet this year about just nearly everything. It has been perplexing me and for a moment yesterday I felt a little twinge of what it might be. I found the above picture* here, and it gave me an idea of what might be happening in my head.

This picture just evokes in me total peace and comfort. I love the colors, the coziness, the feeling that you can just sit down and enjoy it~all the work for the day is done. This photo is the epitome of what we, as home stagers strive to create. It isn't really real but, it is part of my made-up, fantasy world and I love it. Everything in this home is perfect, peachy and lovely and you just don't want it disturb it. This beautiful place has no leaking faucets, no need of paint, no curling, yellowed wallpaper that needs removal, no cat hair on the $100.00 throw. The landscaping is perfect, the family is perfect, and everyone is deliriously happy all the time. No one is sick or fat or annoying~Mr. & Mrs. Wonderful live here.

That is secretly what I want our house to be like, and I have never achieved it...oh yeah, maybe once in my mind I came close for about two hours. And that did not include the people, just the inanimate objects. This picture also helped me realize that I do not like my house in disarray. That always happens when decorating for Christmas, right? I furthermore do not have a great way of keeping track of the things I put away for the season and things invariably get misplaced, sometimes never being reclaimed! A lot of it has to do with a too small cottage with limited storage and a huge bunch of Christmas stuff. I need a group for people addicted to Christmas decorations.

So the inkling that I had was that there is a huge gap between my fantasy and what is real. And then the thought followed that in order to get anywhere near that fantasy that I love I have to do a major ton of work~and that is the thought that is holding me back. It is just me~ being lazy!

I have come to realize that what I use to be able to get done in a few weeks now takes me a few months! Part it is getting older but the bigger part is too many choices about when I will do something. When the kids were little I did it when I could...want to or not. But now I have a whole day and I can do it when I want to. Hmmm, I know it sound like a dream to a lot of you but really it requires a lot of self-discipline! Like right now I am supposed to be cleaning out the bathroom closet according to my scheduled 'to do' list for the day. Clearly, that is not happening.

How do you do it? For me it is matter of making a plan and sticking to it. Instead of staring down the trunk of the elephant and finding it so overwhelming, I need to take it one bite at a time. I have got to stop procrastinating and just jump in. First, I am going to get the deep cleaning and organizing done. I have to move a bunch of things out of the guest room just so Jim can get into the crawl space to get the stuff. I printed out a calendar just for that. Then I want to organize the gifts and get that finished up. Then plan the family party, the Christmas letter, the fun activities, the trip to Utah, etc.

If you are a woman you know there is so much more. We all have a big Christmas elephant in the room right now. The trick is to enjoy it and pace yourself. OK, so I blew it on the bathroom closet today but I am going to get going on it first thing in the morning~no matter what! I am not going to let Mac draw me away from my list tomorrow~no not me!

Oh wait, Jim is off tomorrow and I am working on my client's furniture purchase and design plan. OK, then Wednesday for sure!! And so you see how it goes around here....

flickr

Help!!
I Have Got to Get Some Visions
Of Sugar Plums Dancing In My Head!

*no attribution listed

Empty Spaces

On October 25th I posted my first in a series of Decorating Ideas. I want to elaborate on each one in future posts. Today I am talking about~

2. The space you leave empty is as important as the spaces you fill. Your eyes need resting places in a decorated space.

Over the years we all collect things we love and want to display in our homes. However, when we put up too much is becomes just that...too much! Too much stimulus is not at all restful or inviting. Not every square inch of floor, wall, and table tops need to be filled.

Here is an example of a home we were hired to stage for sale several years ago. This home was owned by a beautiful, very artistic lady and she loved a lot of everything in her home. For living there it was fine and really brought out her personality. Of course for staging a lot of it had to go.

The point of this is to show you that too much stuff creates too much visual confusion for most of us. Take a look...

Double Click for a Larger View

By adding so many pictures and accessories nothing stands out. The wall opposite the sofa was a series of bookcases with so much stuff you would not have believed it. By removing about 2/3 of the things in this room it looked so much better and the house sold rather quickly.

This client was so charming but her threshold for a lot of visual stimulation was higher than for most of us. Be selective about the things you want to surround yourself with in each room. It is great to rotate things and that way you can use all the things you love, just not all at the same time. The trend in the 80's and 90's was a lot of little groupings. The trend now is more towards larger pieces and less accessorizing.

This is another client's home and where a similar problem had to be addressed. The two photos that follow are the same room!

Before

After

These are just a few suggestions to update your look, declutter, and simplify your environment.

You will notice that in a lot of our staged houses we use a lot of pillows on the sofa and chairs. That is to keep people walking through from having a seat and messing things up! It is great that they feel "welcomed in" but we do not want them to sit down and relax while they tour the homes. It would be fine if they put things back as they found them, but....you know how that goes.

Is Your Glass Half Full?

With Special permission from Sandy Dixon I would like to share these wise thoughts from the director of IRIS:

Ideas to Share -- From The Director's Chair TWO TIP TUESDAY...helping you build a better business (LIFE)!

The NØ Moan Zone

Dear Bonnie With all the bad news we are bombarded with daily from the TV, radio, and newspapers it's no wonder we are affected by all the negativity and tempted to look at things with a 'glass half empty' perspective. However taking such an approach is not only bad for your mental and physical well being, it can have a detrimental effect on your business (and livelihood) as well. So how do you overcome the tendency to grumble and complain when you are surrounded by less than positive media AND negative people you may come in contact with every day? By creating and practicing a No Moan Zone philosophy both in your personal and professional life.

Tip #1: Watch Your Words

First of all, it's important that we monitor our conversations on an ongoing basis. Listen to yourself---do the words coming out of your mouth sound positive or are they instead complaints laced with a few moans and groans? Sometimes we get caught in a pattern of negative thinking and complaining without even realizing it. Pay attention to and spend time with upbeat people---the ones that make you smile, turn your day around and who make you feel better being around them. Their positive demeanor and outlook have an influence on those around them and will rub off on you. Ask them their secret to staying positive and then put that information to good use! IDEA: Start your own 'Positive Posse' and make a point of sharing a half full (or better yet 'brimming over'!) attitude with friends, family and strangers alike. Encourage others to do the same. Make a pact with friends, family and coworkers to stop one other from negative talk when you catch each other in the act. Reinforce positive conversations by refusing to participate in negative ones. Sometimes all it takes is someone making us aware of our behavior or habits. Next, turn off any source of negativity that you can control. Take a hiatus and don't watch TV news or read the morning paper. Instead of listening to the radio, opt for a no-news option like satellite radio, CD's or your MP3 player.

Tip #2: Laugh, Linger and Lend a Hand

Keep a sense of humor and eliminate time you spend with people who feed the naysayer in you. Take some time off to rejuvenate. Spend some time outdoors or doing something you have always wanted to do. Volunteer for projects working with nature, animals, or people in need. This will not only give you a renewed sense of purpose and a fresh perspective, it will confirm that you can make a positive difference. IDEA: With the holidays just around the corner, consider working in a soup kitchen during Thanksgiving, visiting a local nursing home, being a Secret Santa for a family in need, walking animals at your local shelter. When we find ways---big or small---to help brighten the day or life of another, it has a way of brightening our life as well.

Quotes to Note

What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens. - Thaddeus Golas Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.---Willie Nelson Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; love more and all good things will be yours. ---Swedish Proverb Sandy Dixon 2008 IRIS Executive Director

Composition

1. An object by itself is only an object.
Juxtapose it with something else and it becomes a composition.

This post will discuss the first Decorating Idea from the post on October 25, 2008.

Composition is an important aspect of decorating in much the same way as it is in photography. When you look through that view finder I am sure you take a good look at what will actually be in your photo. In the exact same way you should stand back and look at your room from the door way and ask yourself if the composition of the furnishings, art and accessories are pleasing to the eye.


Beautiful things must work together to create the atmosphere, ambiance, and feeling you want to evoke in the room. Things don't have to match but they definitely need to blend. Does the room invite you in and make you want to stay awhile?

Doesn't this room look comfy and invite you in for a nap?

The style and elegance is carried through out
this whole area of the entry and living room.

Make sure that different areas of your room
blend together and compliment one another.

A word about accessories and collections. Find a fun and interesting way to display your things. This is a photo of a collection of pears that I have in my dining room. Over the years I have enjoyed collecting pears from various places we have visited and I have also received several from friends and relatives. Imagine how silly my room would look with all these pears scattered around the room. I found this great copper tray and just started piling them on and people always comment on how fun this is and how they enjoy looking at them. Be creative and take a chance on something. The worst thing that can happen is you decide you don't like it and then you can try something else! Use a little whimsy in your decor and add that little element of surprise to each room.

All of these rooms have been redesigned or staged by Interiors by Design.

Decorating Ideas

Interiors by Design photo

Some of Bonnie's Decorating Ideas

An object by itself is only an object. Juxtapose it with something else and it becomes a composition

The space you leave empty is as important as the spaces you fill. Your eyes need resting places in a decorated space.

Minimalism is always at war with real life, especially in our culture.

Scale and proportion are everything.

Contemporary doesn’t mean stark.

Use most of the space in a room~avoid lining your walls with furniture.

When hanging a mirror make sure it reflects something beautiful.

A mirror hung over your fireplace reflects only the ceiling when you are seated in the room.

Use your bedding or a beautiful painting or another object to determine your color palate.

Every room should have a focal point be it an architectural element or a work of art you determine or create yourself.

Use your vertical surfaces (walls) for storage with wall units, bookshelves, cabinets, etc. Avoid the thinking that everything needs to be stored or displayed on the floor space of your home.

You Home Can And Should Be Beautiful

I believe a home should be a place a beauty. Beauty can be created on many different levels and incomes..it has less to do with wealth and more to do with desire. In the past several years, as a professional Redesigner and Home Stager and I have been into hundreds of rooms. These rooms have been in multi~million dollars homes and run the gambit down to tiny condos. These are some of the things I have observed.

Organization is the prep work for a beautiful home. A house of order, no matter how humble is a house of beauty.

Disarray and dirt detract from the most beautiful homes. Clean is beautiful. I am not saying be a slave to your home but reasonably clean is invaluable, if you want the beauty to shine through. I use to try to do the whole house in one day..now I have learned to just do a room at a time for the cleaning part and keep it rotating. It takes way less time and works pretty well without being so exhausting.



Where would you rather work? Where are you most likely to find your inspiration?
Cluttered spaces tend to clutter your mind. It actually can block your energy too. In Feng Shui it is called blocking your chi.


By using your creativity you can have a living space that is uniquely designed to meet all the needs of your family. You can make it beautiful! Remember this:

It is not What you have
but
Where you put it
that
Makes all the difference.

Good designing is a combination of science and art. When you become frustrated with not being able to get it just perfect, naturally you will try to think of a remedy. What many people come up with is buying something else to add to the room. This usually doesn't work because it is the placement of your furnishings that make is seem unappealing. Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective. You have great taste so let's just work with what you have and love already.

The most common response I have gotten when revealing a redesigned room to a client is, "Wow! Why didn't I think of that!"

If you need some help with an area of your home, I am willing to work with you via the blog. You can contact me via e-mail at <onedesigningwoman@yahoo.com> I am a certified Redesigner and Professional Home Stager through IRIS.

My fees are reasonable and commensurate with your design needs. I do accept Paypal which makes things so easy and convenient. Let me know if I can help you~no request for help is too trivial or too huge~just let me know and I will quote you a price and get to work for you right away. All I'll need is some photos of your problem areas! Before and After Portfolio Photos available upon request.

Pumpkins Galore

One of the things that use to drive me batty about my mom when she was around my age was that she would just jump in the car and go what I called gallivanting. She use to run to Longs, go home and then run out to the bank and come to our house for awhile, then go home...it was just plain weird to me. I use to wonder how she could stand not having tons of things to do that were worthwhile to keep herself sane. In my mind worthwhile translated to doing, doing, doing for everyone else within a ten mile radius.

Because I was in the summer of my life I had no concept of what autumn would be like. I was so busy with family and kids, carpooling, housework, working outside our home, etc. that it never even occurred to me there could be choices in my life someday about how I would choose to live my day.

Back then there were no real choices....I just kept at it 24/7. Oh, I could change up my routine but why, really? The laundry, carpooling, Church stuff, cooking and cleaning still had to be done. There was always that blanket of exhaustion, and rarely time to do anything for yourself.

I loved that time in my life, don't get me wrong. I know I was engaged in the most important work I would ever do. And there was lots of joy, lots and lots. I am just saying the routine didn't have many options in those days.

The opposite of all that is true of the autumn of your life. You do have a chance finally to do the things you love and are interested in and still keep a home and family in tact. You can still serve a lot and the best part of that is you say when and how. Personal enrichment is something you get to do when and how you want to do it. It is a time of wonderful freedom and opportunity and I love it.

I know I am so much happier now that I was 10 years ago. You still have lots to do and those to do lists never end, but the beauty is you can just do it another day if you wake up and see that it is a beautiful day and you should take some time and get outside and capture it on your digital point and shoot. So that is what I did today and the carpets can wait until Monday. You won't care, will you?

I totally get what mom was doing now and I wish I'd have understood it better then. She was just taking her time and doing her own thing~what a novel idea! She was enjoying her life and relaxing for the first time in her entire life. I sure miss her and what I could learn now that I know what to ask her.

So here are my pumpkin patch photos. Maybe when you are in the autumn of your life you can go take some for someone else to enjoy while they are busy doing the mommy thing!

Mums the word!

Gourds galore!

Love the tiny ones!

White Pumpkins for Bella

This is for Lee!

Lovin' the sunflowers

A real Pomegranate Tree! It has been years
literally since I have seen one of these!

This guy got a little carried away with him pumpkin purchase!
As I was walking by I heard him counting
them...78, 79, 80, 81. OK then!

So I am sure Jim will be thrilled that I only came home
today with one pumpkin! He is so far behind on reading my blog that
he probably won't even know about it until Christmas!
Love having it right here on my computer desk!
Jen, look familiar? I Love it!